Sprig Discover Rig a Literally Kid-Powered Green Toy

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:39:00 GMT

Made in Canada from a combination of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic, the Sprig Discover Rig also has an eco-friendly motor to match its green construction. The internal generator juices up as your kids roll the car around during play, and once it's fully charged, little ones can activate three different play modes to enjoy lights, a rumbling engine, and safari-adventure sounds.

$49.99 from Toys"R"Us. [The Daily Green]

Amazon's Complete List of Frustration-Free Toy Packaging Options

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Amazon's Frustration-Free Packaging Option, offered on a wide selection of toys this season, lets you opt to have your gifts shipped in a "recyclable, easy-to-open box that eliminates 4-color printing and minimizes the use of PVC windows, blister packs, fasteners, and 4-color inserts found in traditional packaging."

Sounds great, but where does all that excess packaging -- such as the colorful box, blister pack and fasteners normally found in the Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle shown here -- go?

Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle as boxed (left) and unboxed (right) with Frustration-Free Packaging.

According to Amazon's Frustration-Free Packaging FAQ, the company works directly with manufacturers to have toys shipped in the scaled-down, eco-friendly packages right off the assembly line. Sounds like a pretty cool feature, provided you're willing to give up the magic of presenting a gift in its obviously kid-appealing original box. Having shredded my hands on countless fasteners and plastic bubbles, I say bring on Frustration-Free Packaging for everything.

Complete List of Toys Shipped in Frustration-Free Packaging (Amazon.com)

Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle in Frustration-Free Packaging ($34.99; normally $44.99)

droolicious : green gifts

Sprig Discover Rig a Literally Kid-Powered Green Toy

Amazon's Complete List of Frustration-Free Toy Packaging Options